In a thermoform tooling system for producing a vacuum-formed part, such as, for example, a twin-sheet thermoformed pallet as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,355, it is known to use a thermoforming method and apparatus such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,366, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. Other forms of thermoforming apparatus and methods for producing a twin-sheet or single-sheet molded product or part are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,231, No. 6,379,606 and No. 7,045,086. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,366, a pair of heat deformable or thermoplastic sheets each have peripheral edge portions gripped by a transfer clamping frame supported by rotary transfer wheel. The sheets and frames are indexed through an oven for heating the sheets to a predetermined temperature, for example, 400 degrees F. The heated sheets are then transferred to a vacuum molding apparatus where upper mold members or male molds are supported by a vertically movable upper platen and cooperate with a lower mold member or female mold and another male mold or plug mold which shift horizontally on a lower press platen to positions under the upper male molds.
After the first heated sheet is thermoformed, its clamping frame is released, and the empty frame cycles out of the way. The second clamping frame with a heated sheet cycles in and is thermoformed and then positioned above or below the first thermoformed sheet. The male and female molds are then closed to fuse the upper sheet to the lower sheet to form a twin-sheet plastic pallet or part. After the twin-sheets are fused together, the mold opens, and the combined twin-sheets are transferred by a single clamping frame to a station where the fused sheets are cooled. The sheets are then transferred to an unloading station where the single clamping frame is opened to release the fused twin-sheets forming the part. The combined twin-sheets and the connected peripheral edge portions, commonly referred to as offal, are manually transferred to a trimming station where the peripheral edge portions or offal are removed or cut from the part with a hand held router or by a steel trim die in a press or by a computer numerically controlled (CNC) router which moves around the molded part.
It has been found that the trimming operation of a thermoformed part, such as the twin-sheet thermoformed pallet, requires substantial time and labor, in addition to fixtures and equipment for trimming the peripheral portion or offal from the part and to obtain a precision finished outer edge on the part. For example, the use of a CNC router requires an additional mold or fixture to hold the part securely in its formed shape. The part is held in place by either manually clamping the part to a fixture or by a vacuum which requires that the base of the fixture be constructed to allow the fixture to be connected to a vacuum pump in order to hold the part securely. When a steel trim die is used, the trim die is installed in a trim press where the part is trimmed by a trim tool such as a steel rule die for simple flat cuts or a heavier steel die for more complex shapes or for a higher volume of parts.